The sentiment is that the 6-9, 220-pound Looney will choose Duke, which means Blue Devils fans could be, uh, shipping their pants with this K-Mart clone. Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy explains the connection as he breaks down Looney’s game after seeing him this past weekend in Las Vegas.

“In today’s game, there’s not much more useful than a power forward who can step out and hit jump shots, can move his feet defensively on the perimeter and, near the rim, can block shots with authority.

“Looney is going to need a lot of work with his upper body strength, but he has great power in his hands and such remarkably quick feet it’s not an issue against high school opponents. It would be against collegians, but spending a summer and fall on campus will get him started in the right direction enough that he’ll make an impact his first season.

“Looney echoes a young Kenyon Martin, or maybe a slightly shorter JaJuan Johnson, with his wide shoulders, thin frame and long arms. He doesn’t get off the floor with quite the same immediacy as Martin, one of the quickest jumpers in recent basketball history, but Looney does a terrific job contesting shots around the lane.

“What Looney has now that Martin took three years to reach is a level of confidence in his game that should translate to more early career success. Looney knows he’s good. He understands how to impact a game and plays with an infectious brand of energy. A college that knows how to use a versatile power forward and understands how to build a player’s body and game in tandem can both benefit from Looney and send him on to a long career in the game.”